I've always enjoyed eating the pumpkin seeds when I buy them at vendor, but whenever I try to make them at home in the oven, they always seem to turn out either still soggy, or deflated and not crunchy. What am I missing in the technique - I've just simply washed them off, laid on aluminum foil and placed in the oven at 350.

+1 I think the dry and then oil is the answer. It's fun to play with the oil too (like butter or bacon grease) and then experiment with spices (garam masala, chili powder, brown sugar).
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yossarianSep 10 '10 at 15:36

+1, though I usually actively dry mine first (paper towel, usually) rather than just letting them sit out to dry. I'm not that patient.
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BobSep 10 '10 at 15:39

@Bob : I never said I was patient ... I dry 'em in the oven while it's pre-heating.
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JoeSep 11 '10 at 12:02

Be sure and roast them in a single layer, and keep going until they are golden brown, tossing occasionally. If they are soggy, you probably just aren't cooking them long enough to drive off all of the water.

I soak mine in salt water for about an hour or two (i've left them overnight at times and they're fine, but more salty) Then I lay spread them on a parchment lined cookie sheet, making sure they are single layer (not bunched up) and bake for about 30-40 minutes on 300 checking at 10 minute intervals and turning or moving them around. Before baking, I also sprinkle with salt, salt and pepper, chili powder or onion, garlic or season salt. Anything you like will work. You could even add lime to the salt water and then sprinkly with chili powder just before baking. I've been making them every Halloween for 30 years and have never run into a problem with them not being crunchy. But as others have said, sometimes, depending on your oven, you just have to leave them in and turn them until they're done.